Telecoms & IT

The telecoms sector in Qatar has grown at a rapid pace over the past decade and today boasts at least 100% mobile penetration, 93% laptop ownership, 65% smartphone ownership and 29% tablet penetration. Data services have underpinned revenue growth in recent years and are expected to continue driving demand and revenues in the mobile segment. Meanwhile, the take-up of IT services has been increasing rapidly in the state, with 85% of the population accessing the internet in 2013, compared with 38% in 2008. IT is regarded as a key sector moving forward, and the country has seen a strong push to encourage SMEs, which make up 97% of Qatar’s private sector, to use IT solutions, particularly in terms of cloud computing.

This chapter contains interviews with Hessa Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of Information and Communications Technology; and Rashid Fahad Al Naimi, CEO, Qatar Foundation Investments, and Chairman, MEEZA.